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Government gives £100m for potholes

By: Elizabeth Smythe
23 February 2011

The government has pledged £100 million to fill in potholes, says BBC News.

Good news for commuters and those with driving jobs, English authorities will be given the money to fill in damaged road surfaces, which were caused or exaggerated by the extreme weather conditions of December and January.

The funds are in addition to the £871 million which the government already gives to councils for road maintenance.

Millions of potholes across the country have caused, says The Daily Mail, up to three million crashes or near misses, according to insurers.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "I am determined to see the winter damage to our roads fixed as quickly as possible. This money should make a real difference to the millions of drivers who are fed up with having to battle against dangerous potholes."

While the news is good for anyone who spends time driving, industry experts have condemned the gift, especially as road funding for the next four years has been cut. Next year's budget has been reduced to £806 million and by 2014, it will have decreased to £707 million.

Edmund King of the AA said to BBC News: "Sometimes it's more cost-effective to bite the bullet and actually resurface a bit of road rather than fill in a pothole."